Vascular Dementia

Any information regarding treatments in this page are provided as a reference only, and are not intended as treatment advice.

The symptoms of Vascular Dementia are identical to those of Alzheimer's Disease. The main difference is that Vascular Dementia is, by definition, the result of cerebrovascular disease (ie. strokes affecting the cerebral cortex and underlying white matter), and there must be clinical evidence of this in order to make this diagnosis.

Clinically it can be very difficult to tell apart cases of Vascular from Mixed Dementia, or indeed from Alzheimer's Disease. Pure Vascular Dementia will tend to follow a stepwise decline based on the occurrence of progressive strokes, and deficits in some areas of cognition may be more pronounced than others depending on which areas of the brain were more affected by strokes. Ultimately, individuals with this condition pass through the same stages of Mild, Moderate and Severe Dementia as in Alzheimer's Disease.

The treatment of Vascular and Mixed Dementia follows the same principles as for Alzheimer's Disease, though in general the evidence supporting the use of these treatments in Vascular and Mixed Dementia is less robust.